Troubled
by Neutro
Summary: A start from the end of season three. This is my first fanfic ever. Please R&R. Kessi.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Kyle XY or any of the characters. Though, like many of us, I SO wish I did.

Set after the series finale.

* * *

"Kyle?!" Nicole's voice sounded throughout the house, panicked. "Jessi?!" Kyle could hear her bumping into something in the dark, her sudden gasp, and then the crunch of glass under her feet as she approached. She looked down at him, a moment's hesitation, then she bent down and took him into her arms.

"What happened? Are you alright?" She put her hands on his shoulders and drew him back from her to look into his eyes. His lack of response was scaring her. "Kyle?" she asked, her eyes flashing between his. Kyle's eyes were blank as if he didn't remember who she was or even who he was. The disease gnawing at her stomach sharpened. She ignored it and looked firmly at her son. "Kyle." She stated his name, the mother's voice that expected an answer.

Kyle blinked. He turned his head so that he was looking directly into Nicole's eyes. He didn't speak but the recognition he finally gave her made Nicole sag in relief. She gripped him back to her and stroked his back, letting her eyes roam, not knowing what to do. The doors were destroyed and glass was everywhere.

Nicole squinted drawing a little away from Kyle. Suddenly the panic she'd been keeping back surged. Was that blood? She pulled Kyle away from her frantically looking for any wounds. "Are you hurt? Kyle? Kyle!" She grabbed his head to make him look at her again. Kyle looked startled. His lips began to move but no sound came out. Standing up, Nicole looked around again. When she couldn't find anything to do she bent down to Kyle again. "Kyle. Come on. Let's go into the house."

She managed to half drag him into the kitchen, kicking something hard which clattered away, and got Kyle into a chair. She pulled his jacket off, tugging it in her impatience, still checking for wounds. He looked whole. No blood was on him, he was just despondent. "Who?" She looked around again at the dark kitchen and shattered door. She clutched her chest. "Jessi." She turned around. "Kyle, where is Jessi?"

Kyle's brow furled. He looked at Nicole again moving his lips without sound.

Nicole dropped down to her knees next to him. "Kyle, what's wrong? What happened here?" She didn't want to leave him. He looked as though he was at his limit, so pale, eyes wide, unable to speak, but she needed to know what had taken place in her home, what happened to her son.

Kyle's lips stopped moving and he just looked at her silently. Nicole dug her cell phone out of her pocket and called Stephen.

"Stephen. Yes, I'm alright… At the house with Kyle…I'm not sure. The kitchen doors to the yard are broken. Kyle isn't talking, I don't know where Jessi is and-Stephen, there's blood." Nicole gripped the phone still keeping eye contact with Kyle. "No…no…ok. Please hurry." She snapped the phone shut and put it back in her pocket.

"Kyle, I'm going to look around the house for Jessi ok? Will you stay here?" Kyle didn't answer. Nicole breathed, "Ok." She stood up and kissed the top of his head. She took a step away and froze as hands grabbed her arm. She turned. Kyle was gripping her arm with both hands. His eyes looked so desperate, like a small child whose parent was leaving them at an unfamiliar place for the first time. Nicole pulled him up and put a hand on his cheek.

"It's ok." She hugged him. "It's ok." She held him like that for a few minutes, trying to calm him down as he clutched the back of her coat. Nicole's phone chirped. She gently placed Kyle back into the chair and put the phone to her ear. Nicole closed her eyes, "Oh thank God." She smiled a little. "Ok. I love you Stephen." She felt her eyes begin to tear and willed them to stop. She pulled Kyle up again. "It's ok. Everyone is on their way home now." She took a step with him. "Come on."

She put her arm around his waist and led him out of the kitchen and down the hall to his room. Nothing else looked damaged in the house. She opened Kyle's door and brought him to his tub. She slowly let go of him, checking to make sure he didn't sway or fall before she fluffed the pillow and blankets inside and helped Kyle in. Taking off his sneakers and pulling the blanket over him Nicole felt as if she was tucking in Josh as a toddler again, especially since Kyle kept his eyes locked on her.

She sat on the edge of the tub and stroked his hair. She stared at him for a few minutes and kissed the top of his head again. "Oh Kyle." Her heart broke. Something had happened, was wrong – so obviously wrong – and he was not handling it well. Nicole kept her tears at bay by smiling at him reassuringly. "When you're ready. I'll be here. Sleep now."

Kyle slowly blinked and then closed his eyes. Nicole stayed by his side, unwilling to move in case something changed. After some time, there was a knock on the door. Stephen entered and Nicole immediately rose to embrace him. She turned to look at the sleeping Kyle and motioned her husband out of the room.

"What happened?" he asked her when they were further down the hall.

"I don't know. Kyle's… he… something happened. He's not hurt anywhere that I can tell physically, but he's not talking. It's like he tries, but can't. Before he fell asleep he was looking at me like I was going to disappear if he turned away. Oh Stephen, this is terrible." She buried her head into her husband's shoulder. He squeezed her tightly and stroked her back. She looked up at him. "Where are the kids?"

"In their rooms. They looked a little shell shocked. Amanda is bringing Jessi home."

"Amanda?" Stephen shrugged. Nicole fell against him again. "What is happening?" She sighed and pushed off of Stephen's chest to go up stairs to check on Lori and Josh. They both shot out of Lori's room when she got to the top of the stairs.

"Mom! What happened?" Nicole looked into the anxious face of her children.

"I'm not sure what happened but everything is ok." She hugged them both tightly and for once they didn't complain or fire off a smart comment, but hugged her back.

Josh unwrapped his arms from around his mother and sister. "Where's Kyle?"

"He's sleeping. He didn't say what happened, but I'm sure he'll tell us in the morning." She smiled though she didn't feel it. "Why don't you guys get some sleep too." When they opened their mouths to protest she raised an eyebrow. "Or would you like to help clean up down stairs?"

Josh let out a big fake yawn and stretched. "Yup. Feeling mighty tired." He turned and nearly ran to his room, shutting the door. Lori rolled her eyes with a smirk. "I'll help," she said. Nicole's smile turned genuine. "Thank you sweetheart, but your father and I will take care of it. Get some rest." Lori looked at her mother, seeming to debate with herself, and then sighed. "Ok."

Nicole sighed herself as Lori's door shut. She went back down stairs to help Stephen who was sweeping up the glass in the kitchen. She wordlessly took the broom from him and he bent down with the dustpan. There was no use keeping the evidence, they couldn't call the police. They'd emptied the first sweep into the garbage when the doorbell rang. Nicole and Stephen exchanged a look. Stephen put down the dustpan and went to the door, Nicole at his heels. Nicole could see the tension in his shoulders as he opened the door. Amanda and Jessi stood on the other side. Stephen visibly relaxed. "Girls." He stood to the side to let them enter. It was then that he and Nicole noticed that Amanda was nearly holding Jessi up. Stephen immediately took Jessi from her. "What happened?" Nicole looked into Jessi's eyes. "Jessi?" Nicole's blood ran cold.

"I don't know what's wrong with her. She just collapsed and then I – I don't know. She just –" Amanda burst into tears. Nicole gave her a hug and exchanged a fearful look with Stephen. "It's ok Amanda." Stephen carried Jessi to her room, Amanda watching carefully. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Of course." She led Amanda into the living room and gently sat her on the couch. "Amanda, honey, where were you two? What happened?"

Amanda looked back and forth between Nicole and where Stephen has disappeared with Jessi. She was obviously confused and caught between getting herself and Jessi in trouble and telling the truth. How much did Nicole know? How much did she even know? "I…we…Mrs. Trager, I…"

Nicole took Amanda's hands. "It's ok Amanda. Just start at the beginning."

Amanda felt it all come up in a rush. "I came by to talk to Kyle tonight and found Jessi in his room instead." Amanda felt a twist of anger, but pushed it down. "She said Kyle wasn't home and I told her what I found in Nate's room-"

"What did you find?" Nicole asked nervous.

Amanda's eyes widened. " I'm …I'm not sure. Papers. Sketches. Notes with…with the name Adam Balin on them. He was Kyle's birth father."

Nicole nodded wondering what else Amanda knew. "Yes. Go on."

"So Jessi said she couldn't leave because she was missing or something and that I had to go get the papers. She came up with a plan. I thought it was crazy and I didn't want to go, but she said it was to help Kyle so I went. Nate wasn't going to be at home so I got into his room and downloaded all these files and then…" Amanda's voice caught at the memory. "And then Nate walked in. He got on the phone with someone and told them what we were doing and I guess the other guys said to keep me there." Her voice began to shake, "I was so scared. At one point I tried to make a run for it, but he threw me onto the ground. I really thought he was going to hurt me but then Jessi broke down the door. He charged her and she grabbed him by the throat and I smashed him over the head with a pot and knocked him out with my elbow. We continued to download the files and I told Jessi that I was going to fight for Kyle back and then we found a paper called origin and Jessi was surprised by it and then she gasped and fell out of the chair and started convulsing on the floor and I didn't know what to do. Then she screamed "no" and collapsed. She woke up, but hasn't spoken to me since. I just tried to get her up and out of there before someone found us or Nate woke up. Then Jessi's phone rang and I answered it and it was Mr. Trager and I told him Jessi was with me and I'd bring her home 'cause I didn't know what else to say. And so I brought her home. What happened to her? Is she sick? Is…is Kyle ok?"

Nicole was overwhelmed with the information Amanda unleashed upon her and she took a deep steadying breath. What had these children been though tonight? "I'm sure Jessi's fine. She sometimes…ah…well, I can't talk about a former patient." Nicole felt cold in the pit of her stomach. She hated portraying Jessi like that.

Amanda's eyes widened even more and then narrowed. Nicole was surprised at the amount of animosity behind the usually calm and ever pleasant Amanda. "She tricked me. She got me to break into someone's room and steal their files. But- but why? What was that stuff?" Amanda started to shake.

"No. No." Nicole mentally kicked herself. "No, I'm sure there is an explanation. Look, everything will make sense in the morning. And Kyle's fine. He's in his room sleeping." She sighed. "I'm not sure what all happened tonight. You've been through a lot and I'm sure you have questions, but you should get home to your mother. I'm sure she's worried about you."

At the mention of her mother Amanda rose to her feet. "Mom." She took a step forward and turned back to Nicole. "Would you please tell Kyle that…that I'm thinking of him?" She looked earnestly at Nicole, who smiled. "I will."

"Thank you." Nicole led Amanda to the door and watched her go back to her house. When Amanda was safely inside Nicole hurried back to Jessi's room. Stephen had tucked her in and she was sleeping with a little crease in her brow.

"How is she?" Nicole sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Jessi's hair away from her face.

"She wouldn't say anything but when I got her into bed and told her to close her eyes and get some rest, she did just that and fell asleep." Stephen said.

"What on earth is going on? She is acting just like Kyle did." Nicole pursed her lips. "Amanda said that she was Jessi were doing…reconnaissance in Nate's dorm room and got caught."

"What?! Are they – what happened?" Stephen nearly shouted. Nicole shushed him with a glance at Jessi whose brow creased more. She leaned over and kissed Jessi's head, noticing that the crease lessened. Stephen did the same before following his wife quietly out of the room and back into the living room.

"They managed to knock him out, take some files, and get out but not before Jessi had some sort of attack."

"What kind of attack?"

"I don't know. Amanda said she fell out of a chair, screamed no, and then collapsed. She hasn't said a word since." Finally the night's events became too much for Nicole and she let out a sob. "Oh Stephen, what happened and why aren't they talking?" Stephen held her tightly.

"We'll figure it out. They just need rest, and so do we. We'll finish cleaning in the morning and we'll call Foss. Maybe he can help shed some light on things. Come on." He gently led Nicole upstairs and tucked her into bed as well. He checked on Lori, Josh, Kyle, and Jessi before going back into the kitchen to take pictures of the damage outside – and the blood.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much to all those who left a review! It was my first time publishing anything so I was nervous. The encouragement is amazing and incredibly helpful. Thank you again.

I hope you enjoy the second chapter as well. I'm working on the third.

I do not own Kyle XY or any of its characters.

* * *

Kyle opened his eyes, vaguely aware that it was mid-morning. He turned his head to the left and smiled. Nicole was sitting on a chair by his tub. "Hi," he said and sat up.

Nicole smiled back at him, the relief on her face unhidden. "Hi." She touched his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

A small confused smile played on Kyle's lips. "Fine." He looked at her bewildered by her look of deep concern which quickly began to make him feel nervous. He sat up further turning to her. "Nicole, what's wrong?"

She moved to sit on the edge of his tub. "Kyle, when I came home last night, the kitchen doors to the patio were completely destroyed, and you were sitting amidst broken glass, not responding, not speaking." She searched his face for answers.

Kyle continued to look at her confused. "I was?"

"Yes." She shook her head, "You don't remember any of this?"

Kyle bit his bottom lip, not wanting to disappoint Nicole. He slowly shook his head. "No. I don't." He looked at his blanket covered legs for a second then quickly back up at her with wide frightened eyes. "I don't remember anything after leaving the Latnok lab."

Nicole bit her own lips and shook her head. "Oh Kyle." She twisted her hands in her lap. "Amanda and Jessi were involved in something-"

Fear gripped Kyle, "Are they alright?" His eyes were intense on Nicole's face and she nearly flinched. She noticed the grip he had on the edge of the tub, his knuckles white. "Yes. They are both fine, but Jessi came home just as unresponsive –"

"Jessi?" Kyle was halfway out of the tub. He nearly fell back into it, feeling dizzy. Nicole caught him.

"Yes. She's sleeping, just like you were."

Kyle stared at Nicole for a second. "Can I see her?"

Nicole looked back at him, frowning. Since when did he need her permission? And he sounded so insecure, as if she'd say no. "Of course." She helped him out of the tub and down the hall to Jessi's room.

Kyle stood outside of Jessi's door for a second, almost sick with the need to see if she was alright, but not wanting to go in for some reason. "Kyle?" Nicole's questioning voice broke through his reservations and he opened the door. Lori looked up from the magazine that she was reading in a chair by Jessi's bed.

"Kyle." She stood up and crossed the room to embrace him. Kyle hugged her tight as he looked at Jessi.

"Is she ok?" he asked. Lori noticed that he was still hugging her as if for support. He looked so worried.

"I think so. She's just sleeping, but we didn't want to leave her alone. We've been doing shifts between the two of you." Kyle looked down at her for a brief second and then turned back to Nicole in the doorway. He drew his bottom lip through his teeth then looked back at Jessi. Her heart beat was steady and she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He smiled at Lori. "Thank you." He let her go.

"Of course, Kyle. Glad to see you up and about. Mom was seriously wigging out." She laughed and went back to her seat. Kyle looked at Jessi once more and left the room. Closing the door quietly behind him, he faced Nicole.

"Let's get you some breakfast and then we'll talk," she said.

Kyle nodded and followed her into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw what used to be the French doors. Now it was just a messy hole of wood, plaster, and glass, with a large piece of plastic surrounding it. Something began to eat at Kyle's stomach as he sat at the kitchen table and watched Nicole as she went about making eggs and toast.

She was methodically going through the actions, her mind completely elsewhere. Kyle was silent. When the preparations were done and she placed the plate in front of him she finally sat down and looked at him. Then she rose again, only saying "eat." Kyle ate the toast and eggs and orange juice that she poured for him, still watching as she made a pot of coffee. Finally, Kyle couldn't eat anymore, and pushed his plate away. "Nicole."

Nicole faced him from across the room, "Yeah." She came to sit across from him again and began to relate the events of last night. By the end Kyle was pale. He didn't know what to process first: his own piece of the puzzle, that Amanda and Jessi had been in so much danger, that something inexplicable had happened to Jessi.

Nicole reached to take his hands. "Kyle? What are you thinking?"

Kyle blinked at her and slid back in his chair, breaking her grasp on him. He stood up, not knowing which way to turn. His brain was trying to work out the facts and coming up with too many variables, inconsistencies, and dead ends. "I…I don't remember. I should remember. I was there. It's my fault Amanda was put in danger again and Jessi…" He turned his head in the direction of her room, his lips drawing together in a tight line. "What do I do?" he said, the tension in his body clearly visible.

Nicole's crossed the room and hugged him tightly. "We'll figure it out-as a family." Kyle hugged her tighter, her words giving him comfort he so desperately needed as once again he felt his life spiraling out of control.

Kyle walked back into his room after checking on Jessi again. Lori'd promised to get him as soon as she woke up. He entered his room, his mind going in circles, and froze. Kyle blinked twice. His computer was missing. He went to the wooden desk and inspected the empty spot where the desktop used to sit on the floor. He looked around the room quickly. Nothing else seemed to be missing or moved. There was no sign of forced entry or a search. The dust on the floor under the desk was settled, revealing nothing out of place, except a clean rectangular area. He looked at his desk once more and walked back into the kitchen. Nicole was pouring a cup of coffee. She looked exhausted.

"Nicole?"

She turned around, coffee pot in hand, "Yes, what is it Kyle?"

"Do you know where my computer is?" Kyle asked, hoping she'd have a quick answer.

Nicole frowned. "No." She put the coffee pot down. "It's not in your room?"

"No. It's missing." Kyle looked bewildered.

"I don't remember it last night," Nicole said, "But I was so preoccupied, I don't think I even looked." She approached him. "And you don't remember doing anything with it?"

"No, I don't." Kyle said. "And if Amanda and Jessi were downloading from Nate's computer to mine, all that information is gone now too." Kyle looked fearfully at Nicole, both of them thinking the same horrible thought.

_Who had it?_


	3. Chapter 3

First- Thank you to all readers and reviewers! I'm very glad you've liked the story so far.

Second - I may need to apologize to my fellow Kessi fans. The Amanda character is not going to roll over and die. True to her words in the last episode, she's going to put up a fight.

I do not own Kyle XY or any of its characters.

* * *

"So you don't remember leaving the lab?" Foss asked staring hard at Kyle.

"I remember leaving. I don't remember coming home." Kyle said, obviously frustrated. His hair was still wet from his shower and he could feel it dampening the collar of his shirt. "That should be impossible."

Foss didn't say anything. He exchanged a look with Stephen. It had been Foss that had helped Stephen and Nicole clean up the mess and he'd taken a sample of the blood that was found. They'd decided not to tell Kyle about the blood just in case it added to whatever trauma they suspected. Foss hadn't wanted to keep it from him, in case it was something that Kyle needed to know to put the pieces together, but he'd been over ruled and threatened. He scoffed internally at the memory. They really did love Kyle and he was glad of that.

"Any ideas on what happened to Jessi?" Stephen asked Foss. "Kyle and Jessi share some sort of connection. Could what happened to her be related to Kyle's memory loss?" Kyle looked up at Stephen, his eyes wide, fear and horror growing in them. Stephen winced. "Oh Kyle, I'm sorry. I mean, I'm sure they're not. I'm just throwing things out there." He ended lamely. Kyle dropped onto the couch with his head in his hands. The adults exchanged worried looks. The doorbell rang. Nicole got up, patting Kyle as she stood. "I'll get it."

Nicole opened the door and looked flabbergasted at Amanda in the entry way. "Hi Mrs. Trager. I just came by to see Kyle and check to see if Jessi was alright." Nicole looked into the living room. "Of course." She stepped aside.

Kyle was already on his feet and so was Foss. "Amanda," Kyle sounded surprised.

Foss looked at Kyle. "I'll be in touch." He passed Amanda and Nicole without a word and left through the open front door.

Amanda walked into the living room and stood in front of Kyle. "Hi Kyle." She stared up into his face. He breathed. "Hi Amanda."

Stephen looked over at his wife. "Well…" He said.

Amanda broke her gaze and looked over at him. "Hi Mr. Trager. How is Jessi?" Kyle frowned, confused, noticing an edge in her voice. He looked at Stephen, nervous about the response.

"She's just fine. Thank you. I'll tell her you asked about her." He said.

Kyle turned back to Amanda, anxious. He didn't know what all happened last night, or what information she'd downloaded. Her heartbeat was fast but not racing. How much did she know?

Nicole nodded at Stephen, "Well, I'm going to start lunch. We'll leave you two to talk." It was obvious that was what Amanda was waiting for. Her full attention was unrelentingly on Kyle. Stephen raised his eyebrows and gave Kyle a reassuring pat on the shoulder. It was his choice now on Amanda. "We'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

Kyle nodded. "Thanks." When Nicole and Stephen had left Amanda threw her arms around Kyle. He hugged her back, remembering how good it felt to hold her.

She drew back from him a little, to look up at his face. "Kyle, remember when you said that your life was complicated and that it would put me in danger? Well, I finally understood what you meant." She looked so determined, fearless.

"What do mean?" He gently guided her over to the couch and sat down next to her, nervous. She took his hands in hers. "The other night, I found some things – some papers – in Nate's dorm room."

"The other night?"

"Kyle, they were so…so… I didn't know what to think. Your birth father's name was all over them and they were covered in symbols and drawing and descriptions for some tank like thing."

Kyle's heart began to race. Again he wondered how much Amanda knew.

"And so last night I came by to tell you about them, but you weren't home. Jessi convinced me to go there and download some files. She said it would help you, and I know you wanted to keep me out of harm's way, but I wanted to help. So I did what she said, and I went. The stuff on Nate's computer was… I'm not sure what it was. Jessi walked me through the downloading. Then Nate showed up and caught me. He called someone up and told them what we were doing and then held me captive. But Jessi showed up and we managed to knock him out and get the rest of the files and then Jessi had some sort of fit and I brought her home. Kyle, what is going on? I know that you have secrets and I've been patient, but you have to tell me. I deserve an answer. Is Jessi crazy? Did she just sucker me into stealing government secrets or something? I want to know." Her gaze was focused, intent on his face.

Kyle could tell that she was pumped full of adrenaline, her body temperature was raised, her face was flushed, and her heart was finally racing. He'd heard the story from Nicole before and was thankful that this wasn't a surprise. But he felt conflicted. He'd vowed to always protect Amanda and that meant keeping his secret from her. But maybe keeping her in the dark was putting her in more danger. That certainly seemed to be the case. He wavered, not able to decide. "Kyle!" Amanda's voice was desperate.

"Ok!" Kyle looked back at her wide eyed. "Ok." He breathed to calm himself. "I'm ready to tell you my secret. I just want you to know that I care about you very much Amanda and I never wanted anything to happen to you." He looked deep into her eyes.

"I care about you too Kyle. I don't want anything to happen to you." She sounded so sincere, so real, her warm gaze comforted his aching heart. He began his story and was as truthful as he could be without giving her details that would worry her more than he was sure he was doing now. During his story he was aware of Nicole and Stephen coming in at different times to check on him, but never interfering. When he was done, he hesitantly looked into Amanda's eyes again, fearful of what he'd see there. She looked stunned.

"Amanda?"

She jumped, seeming to come back to herself. She looked up at him. "Oh Kyle," she said. He didn't know what that meant so he remained silent.

"Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner? Didn't you trust me?" She smiled up at him. Kyle felt as if a large weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He took a deep breath.

"Of course I trust you. I didn't want to put you in danger. The more you knew, the more danger you'd be in. I would never put you purposefully in harm's way Amanda." He looked at her face again, trying to read her reactions for any sign of reservations. Kyle's head snapped up and he looked over her head. Amanda turned around to see behind her, but no one was there.

"Kyle, what is it?"

He looked down at her. "Jessi."

Amanda's face hardened. She put her and on his arm. "Kyle, how does Jessi fit into this?"

Kyle bit him bottom lip. He was hoping to be able to protect Jessi's secret, but realized now, that wasn't possible. "She's like me."

Amanda's eyebrows raised. "She was born in a pod too? Well, that actually explains a lot." Kyle gave her a disapproving look and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"To check on Jessi."

"Now? Why?" Kyle looked at Amanda, not sure why she was getting angry. He couldn't explain the feeling he was getting in words, but something was different. "I think she's waking up. I'll be right back." He smiled at her, turning back, thankful for her acceptance. "Thank you Amanda."

Amanda looked at him confused. "For what?"

"For being you." He smiled one of those heart-warming smiles that Amanda could never resist. She smiled back at him, glad he turned around before the heat rushed up to her face.

Kyle slowly walked down the hall and stopped in front of Jessi's door. He could hear her tossing in her bed and was suddenly acutely aware that tired as she might be it was afternoon and she should be up. Her heartbeat was speeding up and he could hear Nicole whispering to her, trying to calm her down. Again, indecision gripped him. He wanted to open the door and help Jessi but part of him couldn't bring his hand to turn the knob.

"Kyle?" He jumped at Amanda's voice. He turned towards her. "What's wrong? You've been standing there for minutes."

He'd opened his mouth to answer, unsure of what to say, when he heard Jessi gasp and he wrenched open the door. Nicole was clutching Jessi to her chest stoking her back. Over Jessi's shoulder Nicole looked frightened at Kyle. Jessi was breathing heavy, taking deep ragged breaths. Her heart was beating faster than any human heart should have been able to beat.

Kyle was instantly on the bed, taking Jessi from a surprised Nicole. He didn't remember making the conscience decision to move but he was now sitting behind Jessi so she was leaning back against his chest. She felt hot in his arms.

"It's ok." Kyle whispered into her hair as he stroked it away from her face. "It's ok."

"Kyle?" Nicole opened her mouth, eyes wide, but Jessi began to fret. She pushed at Kyle's arms, whimpering, which made Kyle tighten them in response.

"Jessi, it's me." He said but she continued to struggle.

"Kyle, let her go." Nicole said.

"What?" Kyle looked at Nicole for a second then back at Jessi. Her eyes were still shut but her heart rate had increased. He opened his mouth to protest.

"Kyle." Nicole said a little more forcefully. Nicole wrinkled her brow but then eyed the door. She seemed to be telling him to leave. Kyle's eyes widened and his gaze locked on Jessi. He didn't want to leave her. His heart sped up.

"Kyle." Amanda was by his side and grabbed his arm. Kyle looked up at her, still holding onto Jessi. "You're not helping." She said firmly.

Kyle looked at the dark hair tossing beneath his chin and the fingers blindly trying to find leverage around his forearms. The anxiety was coming off of Jessi in waves. He released her and Nicole immediately gathered her back into her arms. Jessi stopped struggling but was still breathing heavy and whimpering.

"Come on." Amanda pulled him off of the bed and out of the room, closing the door after them.

"What's wrong with her?" Amanda asked. She sounded scared herself.

Kyle continued to look at the closed door. He could feel Jessi's fear, almost touch it. He reached out to her, though their connection and felt her shrinking away from him. Kyle felt another type of fear begin to form in his chest. He could sense Amanda tugging at him, trying to get him to move away from the door, but he was rooted to that spot, unable or unwilling to move.

Amanda finally stopped trying to move him away and sat down, slowly drawing him down with her. They sat in front of the door, and waited while Amanda put her arms around Kyle and repeatedly reassured him. She didn't like how focused he was on Jessi, but she could understand how he would be freaked out. She was a little freaked out. After about ten minutes Kyle relaxed and the intense look on his face softened. Amanda was startled when he stood up and Nicole opened Jessi's door at the same time.

Nicole jumped, surprised at suddenly finding Kyle directly in front of her. "Oh! You scared me." She glanced down at Amanda who was slowly getting to her feet then looked back over her shoulder, "She's sleeping now."

Kyle took a step forward to enter the room, but Nicole stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Peacefully." Nicole caught a flash of something cross Kyle's face, but she couldn't place it and it was gone in an instant. She closed the door behind her and nodded her head towards the living room. Kyle and Amanda followed close behind her. She turned towards them. "She had a nightmare. She couldn't remember what it was about, but it obviously terrified her."

"Is she ok?" Kyle felt his chest tighten. Why hadn't he heard that conversation?

"Yes. I believe so. She calmed down and went back to sleep almost immediately."

"She's sleeping a lot." Kyle whispered. Nicole smiled at the tenderness in his voice.

"I know. I was hoping… well. We should let her rest. I'm going to freshen up a bit. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Nicole smiled at them and patted Kyle's shoulder as she passed him on her way up the stairs.

Kyle knew what she had been hoping. That he'd be able to figure out what was wrong with Jessi and help her. He absently rubbed his chest.

Amanda took his arm and led him back to the living room. "Kyle, are you ok?" She asked, now the one to gently sit him on the couch.

Kyle seemed to think for a minute then he turned to her looking into the face that held his heart for as long as he could remember. He couldn't lie to her. "I'm not sure that I am." He took a deep breath and looked at the coffee table. "Something happened to me last night, or I did something that I can't remember. And it's scary, because I usually remember everything." He looked up towards the foyer. "It may be related to Jessi's…." his voice died off.

Amanda touched his arm and reached out to turn his face to look at hers. "Kyle, Jessi's fine. You heard Mrs. Trager, it was just a nightmare. She'd probably exhausted after our… ordeal last night." Kyle looked into those reassuring eyes and wanted to believe.

"But you're not sleeping through the day or having nightmares." He said quietly.

Amanda smiled up at him, a little bit of fire in her eyes. "I'm tougher than I look." She dropped her hand, a thought crossing her mind as her grip on his arm tightened. Kyle registered her grasp and elevated heart rate. "What happened to you last night? Are you alright?" Amanda cursed herself for not asking sooner.

Kyle looked at the table again. "Other than the memory loss, I can't find anything else physically wrong with me. But Nicole said she found me sitting in glass with the kitchen doors broken. Maybe I walked through them…it wouldn't be the first time." He smiled ruefully at himself.

"Oh my – have you been to the hospital?" Amanda asked, completely worried now.

Kyle frowned, though the concern in her voice was warming his cooling thoughts. "No. There would be too many questions, and then police, and an investigation. It…wouldn't be a good idea."

Amanda's eyes widened. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the gravity of the kind of secret she now held began to settle on her. "Oh."

Kyle looked at her. Worry etched across his brow. "Amanda, are you ok?" She looked paler and her body temperature had dropped. "I know, I know this is a lot to handle. I'm sorry."

Amanda looked back up at him. "No, no Kyle. I'm sorry. All this time you've been going though so much, and I haven't been there for you. I've been so selfish, so concerned for myself." Tears began to form in her eyes. Kyle took her face in his hands.

"It's my fault. I didn't tell you. I should have told you. I was just scared."

"Scared of what?" She asked looking into his eyes once more.

"Losing you."

"Oh Kyle." Tears did begin to fall from her eyes then. "You could never lose me." She reached up and pulled his face close to hers, pausing only a second before pressing her lips to his. They felt so warm and firm against hers and she felt his hands gently encircle her arms. Then he pulled away and looked down at her with a small smile. Not breaking eye contact, he stood up. Amanda followed.

Kyle ran his hands down her arms and held her hands, the butterflies that he always felt when she was near faintly in his stomach. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Thank you." She smiled up at him then slipped out her hands out of his and walked to the front door. He followed and opened it for her. She turned to him. "I'll see you later?" He nodded. She smiled and walked through the door. His eyes followed her down the path until she disappeared around the large hedge. He slowly closed the door, not noticing another door closing at the exact same time down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow. I am very thankful for all the reviews and feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Kessi fans - I'm sorry for making some of you sick with the last chapter. I'll try to make the sacrifice mean something.

This chapter is mostly fluffy.

I do not own Kyle XY or any of its characters.

* * *

The kitchen was in chaos as the Trager household all tried to help make dinner. Even Josh was doing his part by not eating anything. The bustle seemed to help with the atmosphere as everyone avoided looking at the place where the French doors had been. Stephen had called in the damage to the home insurance company and they had denied the claim since Stephen could neither confirm nor deny that it happened through a force of nature. So the doors would have to wait to be fixed until they could find someone to do the work. Kyle offered to fix them, assuming responsibility for their damage, but Nicole and Stephen would not let him. Every so often he would glance guiltily over at them when he thought no one was looking. He sighed at his perfectly julienned carrots and carried them over to Lori's waiting skillet. He almost dropped them when he felt a familiar tingle along his spine. He turned around to look at the figure walking into the kitchen.

"Jessi." Lori dropped her spatula and flung herself at the taller girl. "How are you? We were so worried." Jessi looked down at Lori and gave her a small smile.

"I'm fine."

"Thank God. There's a big radio give away coming up, and I'll need your super prize winning powers." Josh quipped also giving Jessi a quick hug.

Jessi shrugged, seeming a bit surprised at the attention. "Ok." She took a step and stumbled. Josh grabbed her elbow. Kyle took a step forward and froze in his tracks as he met Jessi's eyes. He felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him and quickly looked down, astonished that he was completely dry. He looked back up at her questioningly, but she avoided eye contact as Josh and Lori helped her to the kitchen table.

Nicole felt Jessi's head. "No fever." She put her hand on Jessi's shoulder, noting that the girl had changed her clothes. "How are you feeling?"

Jessi looked up at Nicole and gave her a tentative smile. "I'm fine Nicole. Thank you." She looked around the room, her eyes taking in everything. Kyle noticed that her eyes seemed to skim past him. "What happened to the doors?" A crease formed in her brow.

"Ahh." Nicole looked at Stephen and Kyle. "They got broken last night."

"Really? How?" Jessi seemed unconcerned, only curious. Her eyes were big, staring at Nicole, waiting for an answer. Lori and Josh exchanged a look.

"Uh… I'm not sure honey." Nicole shot a glance at Stephen and sat down across from Jessi. Jessi looked back at her silently. "Jessi, do you remember what happened last night?"

Jessi frowned. "Yes."

Nicole waited, then sighed. She'd almost forgotten who she was talking with. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"To the doors?" Jessi looked bewildered.

"No, to you, after about 6 pm. What do you remember?" Nicole asked looking deep into Jessi's eyes.

"I was in Kyle's room, pretending to be dead, and Amanda came by. She said she needed to speak with Kyle, and I told her that he wasn't home. And – "

Nicole cut her off. "Amanda told us this part."

"She did?"

Nicole smiled. "Yes. She told us she was in trouble and you helped her and that you downloaded some files. And then you had some sort of attack."

"I had an attack?" Jessi looked at Nicole confused, then she looked around the room, her eyes automatically going to Kyle before she quickly turned back to Nicole. "What kind of attack?"

"I don't know honey. I was hoping that you'd remember what happened." Nicole's blood ran cold. Jessi has a gap in her memory too.

Jessi was silent for a moment. "I don't… I was here. I never left the house. I don't remember leaving Kyle's room." Fear began to creep into her face. Nicole reached for her arms and drew her hands onto the table and held them. "It's ok Jessi. What was the last thing you remember from last night and the first thing you remember from today?"

"I was talking to Amanda. I told her Kyle wasn't home. She wanted me to break into Nate's room but I told her I couldn't leave so she would have to do it. I told her the plan, she got into Nate's room and started the download. She didn't understand what she was seeing, and said she'd wait for Kyle to tell her. Then…then… I woke up in bed." Jessi looked even more confused. "I don't remember getting into bed." She looked up at Nicole, eyes wide. "Why can't I remember?" She looked panicked. Lori wrapped her arms around Jessi's shoulders from behind.

"Kyle can't remember parts of last night either. Something must have happened to the two of you, but what?" Lori mumbled over Jessi's head.

Jessi did turn to Kyle then. Her eyes seemed to plead with him to explain what happened. Kyle lost his breath. He didn't know what to say and wished she didn't look at him that way. He walked over to her, kneeling down next to her chair, and reached out to smooth the hair from her face. She glanced coldly at his approaching hand and he stopped, putting his hands on his knees instead. "I don't remember what happened last night either. The last thing I remember was leaving the warehouse and then I was waking up in my tub. The rest is just…gone. I searched my holographic memory and there is nothing there." He felt little pinpricks of fear radiating off of her.

Jessi frowned, the thought of somehow losing their memories caused her muscles to tighten in alarm, but then another thought struck her. "So the bacteria worked?" Jessi asked.

Kyle smiled. Nicole let out a small laugh and Lori squeezed Jessi before letting go and walking over to her father. "Yeah. You're a genius." Kyle said.

Jessi smiled, a real smile, if small. Kyle beamed up at her. He felt like another weight had been lifted off of his chest, one he didn't even realize he was carrying until it was gone.

"So, do you think they know it was us?" Jessi asked.

Kyle stood up. That was something else that had been worrying him. If Nate caught Jessi and Amanda, then it was certain that their story was blown. Could Latnok have done something to them without their knowledge? "Jessi, I need your help." He turned to her but stopped speaking, noting the dark circles under her eyes. He wanted to search her memories and her to search his, but he didn't want to push her any further than she had already been pushed.

"What is it?" She stood up, taking her hands from Nicole, who looked back and forth between the two of them. Kyle could tell that Nicole would disapprove of them doing anymore today. From the shaky way Jessi had stood-up, he disapproved as well.

He looked around the room. "We can't do anything else tonight, but I'd like to see if Latnok is still at UDub in the morning, or what information we can find."

"Do you think that's safe?" Stephen asked. "I can easily find out for you instead of you putting yourself at risk again."

Kyle looked at the person who he came to think of as his father. He noticed the elevated heartbeat and determined look on Stephen's face and realized that Stephen was scared, but not for himself. Kyle smiled, "You're right." Stephen relaxed. "But be careful, we don't know how much they know."

"You said you needed my help." Jessi said, turning his attention back to her.

"Jessi-" he started but stopped. Her eyes dared him to say anything other than an answer to her question.

"How can I help, Kyle." She look she gave him was hard, cold.

Kyle was silent for a second, feeling like he's been punched in the chest. It seemed like everyone was holding their breaths. He held her gaze for a second in indecision before he answered. "I need you to track any indication of movement of a large shipment in the last 18 hours. We need to know if they are moving the equipment in the warehouse and if so, where to."

Jessi nodded and made to leave the room. Nicole's voice stopped her. "Wait –wait a minute." She sounded angry. "Can't we take a moment to rest? Kyle, something happened to both you and Jessi last night. Our home was damaged. We were lured out into the middle of the night. Can't we just – " She threw her hands into the air "stop! I need a break. We need a break. You and Jessi need a break."

Kyle turned to her, eyes searching. "Nicole – "

"No. Your mother is right. I'll check on the status at campus and we'll go from there. We could all use some rest." Stephen said coming to place his arms around his wife.

Jessi piped up. "I've already rested." Stephen gave her a look. "But… I guess… I need more?" She glanced at Lori, her source for understanding all looks parental. Lori nodded and gave her the thumbs up.

Kyle bit his lip. The guilt of putting his family through more problems ate at him. "You're right. I'm sorry." Stephen walked over and placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "I know this is hard and confusing, but we'll get through it." Kyle looked at him and nodded but remained silent.

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair, with everyone trying to avoid the obviously relevant topics first and foremost in their minds. Kyle tried to catch Jessi's eye several times, but she surreptitiously avoided him, and retreated to her room as soon as she could. It confused him. He wanted to talk to her alone, really see if she was ok. He was unable to concentrate on anything anyone said to him after dinner and so excused himself from the living room, leaving the rest of the family to exchange knowing looks.

He knocked on Jessi's door as he opened it. "Jessi?" She was sitting on the foot of her bed, he watched her sit up straighter as he entered the room.

"What?" She didn't turn around to face him and her voice held a cold edge.

Her avoidance and harshness made him nervousness. He furrowed his brow and closed the door behind him. "I wanted to see how you were feeling?" He said softly, taking a few steps further into the room.

"What do you care?" Jessi stood, still not looking at him, and leaned on her desk with both hands.

He crossed the room in a few quick steps to stand not far behind her. "What do you mean? Of course I care?" Why wouldn't she look at him? He regarded her sloping shoulders and bowed head and reached out to touch the exposed part of her neck and upper back above the black tank top, not liking her posture. His fingers were an inch from her when she spoke again.

"I know you kissed Amanda." She said dryly.

Kyle's eyes widened in surprise and he dropped his hand. For a second he didn't know what to do with that information and Jessi shoulders slumped more in the silence. Kyle felt panicked. "Jessi, I'm sorry."

"Whatever. You made your choice."

The severity of her tone wasn't enough to mask the pain in the words, pain that lanced through Kyle upon hearing them, making his heart tighten in a vicious clench. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to breathe through it, and find his voice. "Jessi, I didn't choose – " but Jessi cut him off.

"I don't want to hear the lies." She turned and whipped past him, but Kyle was faster and caught her by the upper arm, her momentum turning her back towards him, nearly slamming her into his chest. She looked up at him defiantly, eyes blazing. She expected to see remorse, sadness, maybe a little confusion, certainly not anger flaming back at her. Her eyes widened a little.

"I have never lied to you. Not once."

Jessi looked at him for a second, surprised at the strength of his words, then nodded. "Ok," she conceded, but continued to stare back at him, challengingly.

Kyle could feel the adrenaline racing through him as he gazed into the big hazel eyes flashing unflinchingly up at him. As he stared into them, what he had been about to say disappeared, eradicated by the fire burning back at him. He could only stare at her, his anger changing into something else. Something he couldn't define, but equally as intense.

Jessi dipped her head up at him and raised her eyebrows. "Kyle, my arm."

"I know." He said breathlessly. Jessi's own anger faltered and she looked at him confused as she heard his heartbeat begin to increase.

"I didn't choose Amanda. I did kiss her, or let her kiss me, but it wasn't like that." He said softly.

"What was it like?" Jessi asked, slightly antagonistic but more curious about this sudden change in Kyle. He was looking at her like the night they found out about Sarah, focused, like she was the only thing that existed.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Jessi asked.

Kyle shifted his grip, so he was no longer grabbing Jessi, but holding her arm as he used his other hand to brush the soft waves of her hair away from her face.

"Jessi, I'd been hiding who I was from her for so long. She was the first girl…"Kyle paused, not sure how to continue.

"That you loved." Jessi finished for him with a tinge of sadness.

Kyle looked down at her. "Yes." He was unapologetic. Jessi nodded, as much as she didn't like it, the truth was the truth.

He wound his fingers further into her hair, slightly distracted by the feel of it across his skin, and tilted her head up to look at him. "It's not the same. As soon as I told her, I realized it wasn't the same. Telling her my secret was like telling my family. I wanted her to know, I wanted to stop lying. I was scared that she would look at me differently, like I was something strange. I care about her." He let go of her arm and brought both hands up to gently cup her face, slowly grazing his thumbs along her jaw.

Jessi's eyes widened under his touch, the power she could feel thrumming through him, that she could tell was only just held back as he looked at her. His hands began to quiver against her skin as he took a step closer to her, bringing their faces closer together as he looked deeper into her eyes.

"But when I felt you push me away when you were having a nightmare…the thought that you didn't want me…that I couldn't help you…"Kyle let out a quick breath, his feelings beginning to overwhelm him. He swallowed convulsively, trying to keep them in check. He let out another choked sound.

Jessi smiled up at him, brushing away a single drop that escaped from his tear filled eyes. He let out a soft breath of laugh as he did the same for her before drawing her sharply to his chest and holding her tightly against him. Jessi smiled into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his back. They held onto one another, each simply needing to be needed by the other, feeling comfort in each other's arms.

Jessi was the first to pull away. "Kyle."

Kyle gently wiped the moisture from her face. "Yes?" he asked, looking memorized.

"The next time you say goodbye to someone, do it with words."

Kyle looked quizzically at her then laughed. "I will." He slowly bent towards her, hesitating a little to give her a chance to pull away.

Jessi rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of his neck, causing their lips to crash into one another in a hard kiss. Kyle's hands automatically went to Jessi's waist, pulling her closer to him, relishing the way she felt in his hands. Jessi smiled into the kiss and applied more pressure to the back of Kyle's head, nipping his bottom lip. On reflex Kyle's fingers clenched and dug into Jessi's back. He pulled back startled at his uncontrolled action and the bolt that exploded through him.

"Sorry." He said, breathing raggedly, searching her face to see if he'd hurt her.

"What for?" Jessi asked, breathing equally as ragged.

The door was suddenly thrown open. "Kyle? Jessi?" Nicole asked worriedly into the darkness.

"Yes." Kyle said, taking hold of Jessi's hand.

"Are you two alright? All the lights just blew out. Are you ok?" They could hear her searching for them in the dark.

Kyle exchanged a sheepish grin with Jessi, knowing that she had already adjusted her eyes to see in the dark. "Yeah, we're fine." He took a step towards Nicole, touching her outstretched fingers, with his free hand.

"Oh, thank God." Nicole embraced them.

"We're fine Nicole." Jessi said, squeezing Kyle's hand.

Kyle began to feel slightly guilty for scaring Nicole, and he was sure the rest of the family, so shortly after their home was broken into. He squeezed Jessi hand when Nicole wondered out loud what could have caused such a huge power outage as they followed her leading them blindly out of the room. Yes, slightly guilty, but he didn't regret it for a second.

Kyle jumped at the ringing in his pocket. He took out his phone and looked at it, not recognizing the number. He could see Jessi and Nicole stop as he answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"_Hello Kyle_."

Kyle froze, his stomach dropping. Dread, fear, and anger coursing through him at once. "Cassidy."


End file.
